CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey was designated for return from injured reserve Wednesday after missing the past five games with a hamstring injury.
This begins the team’s 21-day window for him to begin practicing and makes him eligible for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, should Carolina (4-4) activate him.
Coach Matt Rhule said Monday that he expected McCaffrey to begin practicing Wednesday but didn’t commit to the Pro Bowl back playing until he made it through the week in practice.
“Hopefully this week, if not next week,” Rhule said about when McCaffrey would play again.
McCaffrey appeared close to a return in Week 5 after practicing on a limited basis Wednesday through Friday, but he wasn’t activated. He practiced again on a limited basis the next Wednesday, then was placed on injured reserve after missing practices Thursday and Friday.
Rhule said the goal whenever McCaffrey returns is to spread the workload as Carolina did in Sunday’s win at Atlanta, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
Backs Chuba Hubbard, Ameer Abdullah and Royce Freeman teamed with quarterback Sam Darnold to rush a season-high 47 times for 203 yards.
“To me it’s not just about Christian,” Rhule said. “It’s about those guys that have really emerged for us, and we want them all to play.”
The Panthers, however, might be without Darnold, who suffered a concussion on a designed run with just under seven minutes remaining in the 19-13 victory. P.J. Walker is expected to start if Darnold does not clear the concussion protocol this week.